The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for removing objects from the skin. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for removing objects from the skin and remedying the effects of pseudofolicullitis barbae (PFB) or ingrown hairs.
Pseudofollicultis Barbae (PFB) is a painful, chronic, distressing and potentially disfiguring dermatological disorder that occurs predominantly in people of color. As illustrated in FIG. 4A, PFB, a cutaneous affliction caused by shaving arises as a result of a curved hair 100 that emerges through the dermal layer of the skin 110 from a curved follicle 120 at an acute angle and continues to curve in its external growth path. Continued growth and curvature leads to the hair tip penetrating the skin 130 forming a false follicle a few millimeters away from the point of emergence. Such intrusion of the tip penetrating the skin is often times characterized by erythematous papules, pustules and occasional hypertrophic keloidal scar formation in a typical inflammatory reaction of skin penetration by a foreign object.
In the past, to remedy PFB, ordinary household tweezers were often employed. While tweezers could be used to remove an ingrown hair when a portion of the ingrown hair was exposed, tweezers were generally ineffective in those instances where the ingrown hair grew entirely under the skin. Even in those instances where a portion of the ingrown hair was exposed, it was often hard to grasp. Furthermore, often while using tweezers to extricate an ingrown hair, the entire hair was pulled out of its follicle, leaving the empty follicle subject to a potential Staphylococcus infection. For the well being of the PFB sufferers, it is not advisable to remove the entire hair. It is medically preferable to simply extricate the non-rooted end of the ingrown hair, so that it can be shaved along with the surrounding hairs.
In the past it has also been common to use a needle or a straight pin in attempting to extricate an ingrown hair from the skin. Such needles and pins, however, provide no means by which to catch the hair and pull it to the surface. The use of a needle or pin was additionally unsatisfactory since it often caused painful wounds to the PFB sufferer as the pustule or papule was probed or lanced by the sharp end of the needle or pin. The use of needles and pins is further unsatisfactory because these devices can be easily inserted under the skin to a painful depth because of their extremely sharp points and narrow cross section. Finally, such needles and pins are often not kept in a sanitary condition. As a result, the person desiring to extricate an ingrown hair uses an unsanitized pin or needle found in a sewing kit, household drawer, or other catchall compartments.
Another problem associated with the above mentioned ingrown hair removal techniques is that the devices used to remove the ingrown hair are always rigid devices. Thus, there is no flexibility in adjusting the amount of force exerted. For example, a user may be xe2x80x9cheavy-handedxe2x80x9d and exert too much pressure in trying to remove an ingrown hair while on the other hand, a user may be xe2x80x9clight-handedxe2x80x9d and not apply enough pressure to remove the hair and thus irritate the skin even more.
Thus, there remains a need for an improved method and apparatus capable of dislodging ingrown hairs with a rotatable hook/blade for an adjustable hair removal process that minimizes trauma to the PFB site.
A device for extricating ingrown hairs comprising a housing and a blade member disposed in the housing. The blade member has a proximal portion and a distal portion with the distal portion terminating in a hook member and the proximal portion attached to the housing via an attachment means. The attachment means provides the hook member with an adjustable tension for rotatable hair removal.
These and various other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description and claims, and by referring to the accompanying drawings.